Hearst expected to approve Rodale deal

The Hearst board of directors is expected to approve the deal to acquire the publisher of Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Prevention and other titles — as well as a small consumer book division whose authors including Al “An Inconvenient Truth” Gore and Arthur “The South Beach Diet” Agatston.

The Rodale family are said to be rejoicing that Hearst appears to have beaten Meredith in the bidding war. “Hearst is the only publishing company to actually come to Emmaus [the remote Pennsylvania town Rodale calls home] to try to learn about the corporate culture,” said one source close to the company.